31: War of the Worlds (2005)

We close out the month with the conclusion to our Cruise / Spielberg double feature, War of the Worlds. It’s a decidedly post 9/11 film featuring a classic Spielbergian family with a divorced dad, rage fueled adolescent son, and an increasingly traumatized young daughter. Spielberg portrays the scope and damage of a global alien invasion with a seamless blend of CGI tripods and practical destruction that still looks great 16 years later. The US military is aggressively present in this film, with Tom Cruise’s son Robbie hell bent on joining the troops despite their inability to put up much of a fight. It’s a commentary on warfare and military occupation that often feels less than self aware about what it’s trying to say, but still worth a watch for anyone in need of a good disaster / alien flick, or a small window into the liberal Hollywood politics of 2005.

Motion Picture Pals is hosted by Cam Call, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, and producer Travis Lien.

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